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Microplastic pollution

Here, there, and in the toilet? Microplastics now found in our poop

Microplastics can be found just about everywhere, from the depths of the ocean to our beer. So it's not a surprise that these tiny bits of plastic have made their way into our poo. But what does it mean for our health?

You may have known it on a subconscious level, but now the research is in: Microplastics are in our poo.

Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and the Environment Agency Austria studied the diets and stool samples of eight participants from across the globe. Some amount of microplastics was present in the feces of every single one.

Such tiny particles can either be intentionally manufactured as microplastics, like some exfoliating beads in facial scrubs, or they can come from larger plastic items, such as fibers from our clothing being shed in the washing machine or pieces of plastic packaging breaking down.

On average, researchers in this study found 20 particles of microplastic per 10 grams of stool. The tiny bits of plastic ranged in size from 50 to 500 micrometers.

"Plastics are pervasive in everyday life, and humans are exposed to plastics in numerous ways," said study lead researcher, Philipp Schwabl. "Personally, I did not expect that each sample would test positive," he told DW.

In total, nine types of plastic were identified in the stool samples. Plastics used in packaging, fabrics and water bottles (polypropolyene and polyethylene terephthalate) were the most common.

"It is highly likely that during various steps of food processing or as a result of packaging, food is being contaminated with plastics," said Schwabl. "Most participants drank liquids from plastic bottles, but also fish and seafood ingestion was common."

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Plastic in your mouth

Microplastics are defined as smaller than 5 milimeters in diameter. But these tiny particles accumulate in the sea, can enter the food chain, and are even found in the air. Personal care products containing microplastics, such as toothpaste, represent one of the most common intentional uses of microplastics in our daily lives.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Cleaning your skin with plastic

Some cosmetic products can contain as much plastic added as the amount of plastic in which they are packaged, experts indicate. Exfoliating daily washes very often use of microplastics, often termed "micro-beads," which then get flushed into the household wastewater stream.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Mmm, plastic

Via wastewater, microplastics reach the oceans, where they move enter the food chain through feeding zooplankton. In 2017, researchers found that 25 percent of marine fish tested in markets in Indonesia and California had plastic and textile fibers in their guts. Research is still lacking as to whether consuming microplastics through fish harms humans.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Plastic condiment

Several studies published in 2017 showed that microplastics have also been found in sea salt from the United States, Europe and China. It's not surprising, considering how plastic debris represent between 60 to 80 percent of the total marine waste, and that up to 12 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

No way to escape

Beside microplastics in seafood like fish, shrimp and mussels, scientists point to other foods, such as honey. In the recently adopted European Union plastics strategy, honey was mentioned as one of the food products containing microplastics — to motivate a push toward a ban.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Wearing plastics

Aside from micro-beads in hygiene products, synthetic textiles also release a vast amount of tiny plastic fibers into wastewater. Researchers found that a typical 6-kilogram (13-pound) washing load of acrylic-fabric items (like fluffy blankets) generates more than 700,000 individual fibers. Synthetic fabrics account for around a third of ocean microplastics.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Dirty wheels

Vehicles tires are also a main source releasing microplastics into the environment. Tires are made of synthetic polymers mixed with rubber, which grinds down when used. This generates microplastics that are either blown around by the wind or washed away by rain. Norwegian and Swedish researchers agree that a large proporation of particles found in the sea come from car tires.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

Open the tap, and ... microplastics

Microplastics have also been found in tap water. In an analysis of tap water samples from countries around the world, more than 80 percent were contaminated with some amount of plastic fibers. If synthetic fibers are in tap water, they are also likely to be in a number of other basic foodstuffs, like bread.

Microplastics: Our daily companions

No, not my beer!

And yes, if tap water contains microplastics, beer could very well also be contaminated. A 2014 study found plastic particles in a total of 24 German beers - but variability in the results was high, and further research would needed for verification, the German Environment Agency has pointed out. In any case, cheers for now.

Author: Irene Banos Ruiz

What the health?

From algae to bluefin tuna to humans, creatures across the entire food chain ingest microplastics. The tiny plastic particles have even found their way into the tissue of mussels after passing through their digestive systems, with sharp-edged pieces causing inflammation in their tissues.

"Of particular concern is what this means to us, and especially patients with gastrointestinal diseases," said Schwabl. "While the highest plastic concentrations in animal studies have been found in the gut, the smallest microplastic particles are capable of entering the bloodstream, lymphatic system and may even reach the liver."

Microplastics have even been found in bottled water — perhaps originating with the plastic bottles themselves

The study's team says that microplastics may impact human health by affecting the tolerance and immune response of our gut, particularly as toxic chemicals and pathogens stick to plastics and are then transmitted into our bodies where they then accumulate.

Some scientists are worried about this "hitchhiking effect," as well as possible toxicity of certain plastics (like BPA), which can induce immune responses and interfere with hormones, among other adverse effects.

More research is required to clarify the impact of microplastics on the health of humans and other living things.

What we don't know ...

A recent review of the science on microplastics by Alistair Boxall, a professor of environmental science at the University of York, revealed that health effects in laboratory testing were often found using much higher concentrations of microplastics than are in fact found in the environment.

Microplastics of various shapes and sizes are omnipresent in our environment

"Even though these things occur in the environment and we detect them in water, we detect them even in salt and in drinking water, I think the evidence that they're actually causing harm to either animal health or human health is actually not really there," Boxall told DW.

Boxall, who also studies the impacts of pollution, said, "there are other chemicals in the environment that we should be worrying about much more in terms of human health than microplastics."

While microplastics may have infiltrated our digestive tract, we do not yet know that they are something to worry about.

Schwabl agrees with the need for further investigation.

"Now that we have the first evidence for microplastics inside humans, we need further research to understand what this means for human health," he said.

You are what you eat

Participants in this study were largely European (from Finland, Austria, Italy, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands), with one from Japan. Future studies could include a wider array of participants from different cultural backgrounds in different parts of the world, broadening the diversity of diets examined.

Another point of inquiry going forward would be to compare the microplastics found in stool from vegetarians as opposed to meat eaters and pescetarians. None of the participants in this study were vegetarians and six ate fish during the study.

Alternatives to single-use plastics

Stop sucking

Billions of plastic straws end up as waste. The European Union wants to ban these and other single-use plastics, which end up in rubbish dumps or in our oceans. But for those who just can't stop sucking — like Marco Hort, who set a world record with 259 straws stuffed in his mouth — there are environmentally friendly alternatives.

Alternatives to single-use plastics

Drink it, eat it

Animals in the ocean often try to eat plastic straws. To protect the environment, you can now eat the straw yourself. The German startup Wisefood has developed an edible straw made out of the leftovers from Germany's apple juice production. Alternatively, you can also acquire a multiple-use straw made from metal, bamboo or glass.

Alternatives to single-use plastics

We are forked!

There are no exact numbers of how many plastic forks, knives and spoons are used once and then dumped. But it's enough for the EU to want to say goodbye to them. If you need to eat on the run and can't use metal silverware, you might try edible versions. The Indian startup Bakey's offers forks made out of sorghum; the US company SpudWares, out of potato starch. Yummy!

Alternatives to single-use plastics

No leftovers

Talking about eating your plastic alternatives: You might also like to try edible plates, since plastic plates will be on the way out under the EU's ban. The Polish company Biotrem has developed plates made from bran. In case you are already full from your meal, don't worry: The plates are organic and decompose after 30 days.

Alternatives to single-use plastics

Cut the cup

Besides banning the private use of disposable plastic products, the EU aims to encourage fast food chains, cafes and bars to curb the use of plastic cups. Half a trillion plastic cups are consumed every year — most of them being used for a single drink, then staying in the environment for eternity. Several companies now offer plant-based alternatives.

Alternatives to single-use plastics

It's not plastic

One of those companies is the Balinese startup Avani. It has developed a compostable bioplastic made from corn starch. Although, the cups look and feel like petroleum-based plastic cups, they are biodegradable. However, they decompose best in a commercial composting facility, and not in your backyard

Alternatives to single-use plastics

Reuse, reuse, reuse

The easiest way to replace plastic cups is by using reusable mugs. But we might not always have our personal coffee cups on hand while we are out on the streets. Berlin is among German cities testing out a pilot project allowing coffee aficionados to borrow a reusable bamboo mug for a small deposit, and return it at another cafe at a later point.

Alternatives to single-use plastics

Clean ears, dirty oceans

Another plastic product the EU would see gone are ear buds. When disposed of improperly, they end up in the ocean, where animals mistake them for food. There are plastic-free alternatives with the stem made from bamboo or paper. But hardcore environmentalists say it's best to stop using them altogether — you can use your towel to clean your ears.